Thursday, September 8, 2011

So....how do you explain compound words to your kids.Like I said previously, the English language is hard enough.You have taught your child what butter is, how to spell it, the meaning, etc.You have taught your child what a fly is, how to spell it, the meaning, etc.And now we have a compound word "butterfly" which has nothing to do with butter OR flies.It means something TOTALLY different, has the same spelling but is 2 words now squished together AND a totally different meaning!WHAT!?Compound words can be fun, they can be confusing, they can be silly.They are usually introduced towards the end of Kindergarten or the start of First Grade and make for a learning experience!Learning about compound words helps your kids understand the English language, builds an interest in words and their creation and meanings and will help prepare them to learn prefixes, suffixes, and word roots which comes later in their studies!I like to get my kids started on these and then give them a challenge to see how many compound words they can come up with!Kids love challenges and a challenge that lets them learn at the same time is even better!

So, now we will let the "Butterfly" wake up with the "daylight", have some "breakfast" and then seal the purchase on his new cocoon with a "handshake"!